I atended on a Party larst week as went up the River (our nice little
Stream, as the aughty Amerrycanes calls it) to Ship Lake, tho' why
it's called so I coodn't at all make out, as there ain't no Ship nor
no Lake to be seen there, ony a werry little Werry, and a werry littel
River, and a werry littel Hiland; and it was prinsepally to see how
the appy yung Gents who sumtimes lives on the same littel Hiland, in
littel Tents, was a gitting on, as injuced all on us, me and all, to
go there. It seems that for years parst quite a littel Collony of
yung Gents as gets their living in the grand old Citty has been in the
habit of spending their littel summer Hollydays there, but, somehows
or other, as I coodn't quite understand, the master of the littel
Hiland made up his mind for to sell it, and all the yung Gents was in
dispair, and wundered where on airth they shood spend their Hollydays
in future. But they needn't have been afeard--there was a grand old
hinstitushun called "The Copperashun!" as had both their ears and both
their eyes open when they heard about it. So when the time came for it
to be sold, they jest quietly says to one of their principel Chairmen
(who is sich a King of Good Fellers that they all calls him by that
name, and he arnsers to it jest as if it was the werry name as was guv
him by his Godfathers and his Godmothers, as I myself heard with my
own ears), "Go and buy it!" So off he goes at wunce and buys it, and
the kindly Copperashun Gents as I went with larst week, went to take
possesshun on it acordingly, and to see if anythink coud be done to
make the yung Campers-out ewen more cumferabel than they ewer was
afore! Ah, that's what I calls trew Pattriotizm, and trew Libberality,
if you likes, and that's what makes 'em so much respeckted.
Our Gents was all considrably surprized at the lots of Tents as was
all a standing on Ship Lake Island; one on 'em, who was got up quite
in a naughtical style, said as he was estonished to see so many on 'em
pitched, but I think as he must ha' bin mistaken, for I didn t see not
none on 'em pitched, tho' I dessay it might ha' been werry usefool in
keeping out the rain on a remarkabel wet night.
By sum mistake on sumboddy's part, there wasn't not no yung
Campers-out to receeve us, and so fears was hentertaned that they wood
have to cum again shortly; but they are bold plucky gents, is the men
of the Copperashun, and they one and all xpressed their reddiness to
do it at the call of dooty. Besides, we had sich a reel Commodore a
board as made us all quite reddy to brave the foaming waves again.
Why, he guv out the word of command, whether it was to "Port the
Helem," or to "Titen the mane braces," as if he had bin a Hadmiral
at the werry least, and his galliant crew obeyed him without not no
grumbling or ewen thretening to strike!
By one of them striking and remarkabel ocurrences as happens so
offen, who shood we appen to find at Ship Lake, but one of the werry
poplarest of the Court of Haldermen, and what shood he do but ask
'em all in to lunch at his splendid manshun, and what shood they
all do but jump at the hoffer, and what does he do, for a lark, I
serppose--if so be as a reel Poplar Alderman ewer does have sich
a thing as a lark--and give 'em all sich a gloryous spread, as I
owerheard one henergetick Deperty describe it, as hutterly deprived
'em all of the power of heating a bit of dinner till the werry next
day, to which time they wisely put it off, and then thorowly injoyed
it.
In course, I'm not allowed to menshun not no names on these
conferdential ocasions, but I did hear "the Commodore" shout to "the
King" sumthink about "Hansum is as Hansum does," but it was rayther
too late in the heavening for me to be able to quite unnerstand his
elusions.
I am 'appy to be able to report that we every one on us arrived in
Town quite safe and quite happy, xcep sum of the pore hard-working
crew who are left at Marlow till further orders. ROBERT.
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[Illustration: MEETING OF THE B.A. FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.
LEEDS TOWN-HALL.]
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[Illustration: FAIR PROPOSAL.
_Johnson_ (_at window--having offered to tame a vicious Horse for his
Friend_). "NOW, TOM, JUST COLLAR HOLD OF HIS HEAD, AND I'LL PUT THE
MUZZLE ON!"]
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